


Brave Enough

by Illyrianwitchling



Series: Mutual mixtape [2]
Category: The Folk of the Air - Holly Black
Genre: Cardan my idiot son, F/M, Pining, is it mutual, jurdan-freeform, just tell her, maaaaybe, mentions of an asshole named Locke, perhaps a part 2 and 3 one day, we will see
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:22:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26029393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Illyrianwitchling/pseuds/Illyrianwitchling
Summary: Cardan grabbed her wrist. She turned around to face him holding his gaze. His heart thundering wildly in his chest. Wanting to tell her she deserves so much more than a date with that cheating bastard. Maybe a date with him. The words fumbled over his tongue.
Relationships: Jude Duarte/Cardan Greenbriar
Series: Mutual mixtape [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1889401
Comments: 2
Kudos: 51
Collections: favorite on TFOTA





	Brave Enough

**Author's Note:**

> This was apart of my 1k celebration on tumblr called mutual mixtape.  
> song prompt: Brave enough by Lindsey Sterling  
> request by: piratejudemdji

Jude strolled into the apartment, an odd sort of smile plastered on her face. She moved with a slight bounce jumping into the microfiber couch. Grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bowl sitting on the coffee table. Tossing each piece in her mouth. She was acting differently. Happier than usual. Honeyed colored eyes were ablaze. She looked like she said something to say and given her actions, it was good news. Cardan glanced up from his book, watching her with curiosity at first. Until his gaze fell on his lips. Watching how her deep crimson lips moved as she chewed. Followed by her pink tongue sweeping over her top and bottom of her mouth. Swallowing thickly his throat bobbed and Cardan felt his heart hammered at her beaming smile. He wouldn’t, he couldn’t let her know that her very presence around him brighten his day. Instead, he looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. Acting as if she disturbed him.

“What’s with the face Duarte? Make some kids cry?” Cardan teased, flipping another page in his book, “And get your popcorn.”

“I would, but why when there’s a perfectly good bowl here?” Cardan huffed out a response. Sometimes she couldn’t believe they’ve lived together for two years when she acted this way. Like Jude owned everything including him. In a way she did. But that was his secret., “I didn’t make anyone cry either,” she clipped.

“Then…are you going to tell me? Or are we going to play guessing games all day?”

It was this moment her excitement turned nervousness. As if she was nervous about how he’d react to whatever she’d say. The only thing he could think of was that she would be moving out. Panic started to fill him at the thought. He didn’t want to go a day without food stealing, messy roommate, the intoxicating scent of blackcurrants that was so undeniably Jude. Cardan couldn’t imagine missing drunken take out nights and trashy tv, then passing out on the sofa with her. There was nothing worse than her moving out. The pang in his chest hit him harder than he cared to admit. Least of all her. Yeah, it was their as prominent as the sun shining through the windows of their lofty condo. Or as real as Jude and Cardan. Jude moving out was something he wasn’t ready for. Being honest with himself. He wasn’t sure if he’ would ever be ready.

“I have a date. On Saturday,” Jude confessed.

Cardan sat upright, closing his book and blinking at her, opening and closing his mouth several times. Oh. This was worse.

“With who?” he questioned sitting the book down.

He wasn’t paying attention, focusing on Jude, the book fell to the ground hitting his foot. Cardan swallowed the pain. It didn’t matter. The throbbing pain was nothing compared to his insides twisting in agony. His pulse quickening. It fell like someone took the very air from his lungs.

“Locke Liriope.”

Oh, mother above. This was only getting worse. Locke was once Cardan’s best friend and old roommate. Until he found him in bed with his then-girlfriend. Cardan moved out, finding Jude. In the beginning, Jude stressed him out and infuriated him every day. 

Clothes everywhere, Dishes stacked, wet towels on the bathroom floor. And she always forgot about the laundry in the washing machine. He spent the better part of the first months playing maid and arguing with her. He wasn’t sure when it changed. When she started getting better at it and treating Cardan like a roommate instead. They still had their squabbles over chores, tv, bills, books, and who’s cooking next. He fell into a domesticated rhythm with her. Before he knew it, like a thief in the night, Jude had captured his heart. Now she isn’t even aware of the death grip she has on it. 

How that very name squeezed blackened his heart. Cardan could feel each beat slowing as Locke’s name off her lips reverberated in his mind. Jude was pulling him down like an anchor in the sea. If only he could tell her how he felt. To summon up some form of bravery and say those three little words. They worked so hard on being friends. That it was best to keep the thought to himself. What they had now, this beautiful friendship, he was too scared to lose it. And now. Now it was too late.

Jude clicked her tongue, standing from the sofa, “Cool. I at least expected you to say something witty if not congratulations. I’m happy for you. Silence honestly-”

“You can’t date him. He’s a cheating asshole,” His voice turned venomous as he spat out the words. Cardan stood towering over Jude.

She scoffed resting her hands on her hips, tilting her head as she glared at him, “ You have a say in this why?”

A burning flame into those honeyed eyes. Good. let her be filled with fury and rage. Cardan ran his fingers through the thick, inky strands trailing down to rub the nape of his neck while shrugging nonchalantly in the process. His mind and heart working as one, for once in his miserable existence. Both shouting at him to tell her. He wasn’t good at listening. Never was.

“You don’t want to know,” is the only reply he gave and it made him want to drag his palm over his face for the stupidity of those words.

Jude worked her jaw, folding her arms tightly across her chest. Her face remained expressionless, “What?” she stood there facing him. The air between them thickening with tension like a dense fog. Jude pinched the bridge of her nose, “Let me get this straight. You didn’t ask me to not go on a date. You told me,” she seethed, tone rising and filling with anger at each word, “ When I asked you why. You said I don’t want to know. Are you jealous?”

Yes

Cardan scoffed in disbelief, “I’m not jealous Jude. Out of all the people in the world, Locke is the one I won’t be jealous of.”

“Right,” She responded, clicking her tongue. A cold flame in her eyes, “Well if you have no reason then I won’t be around Saturday night,” She turned to leave.

Cardan grabbed her wrist. She turned around to face him holding his gaze. His heart thundering wildly in his chest. Wanting to tell her she deserves so much more than a date with that cheating bastard. Maybe a date with him. The words fumbled over his tongue. He hated feeling so damn cowardly about this. At least he could tell her about NIcasia. 

“Okay wait. You remember I said my ex cheated on me.”

“Yeah. With your roommate what does that have to do with anything?” she snapped, once again glaring at in his direction.

“He let out a breath, “Locke was my roommate. They were seeing each other behind my back for three months. I found them in my bed.” Jude wants to wrap her arms around him. Take away the hurt that lingered in his tone. 

Eyes black as night searched hers, holding a different emotion that made Jude’s stomach flip. Gingerly, he cupped her face, trailing a thumb along the edges of her cheekbone. Neither was sure when they moved closer, breaths mingling. The fog of tension slowly disperses around them. Slowly Cardan drifted his gaze to her full red lips, pink tongue sweeping over them. Jude fluttered her eyes close, tilting her head. Cardan pressed his lips to hers. It was soft, warm, and far too quick. Like a breeze in summer.

“Please don’t go on this date Jude,” she could hear the brokenness in him. The remainder of a pain long past, the implication of her going on a date with someone would break his heart in two. 

Cardan wasn’t brave enough to tell her the words he longed to say. Not yet. He hoped with his confession and a touch of his lips that she knew.


End file.
